Ne Plus Ultra
by The Light's Refrain
Summary: ONESHOT Ryo believed he was destined for seclusion, the Digimon King of nothing. But that was the one fate he couldn't stand, even if he tried to convince himself otherwise.


_Hi! This is my Secret Bunnies Exchange fic for **Kaito Lune**! :D This is also my entry for The Monthly Restrict, Challenge...no, I won't say it yet. If you clearly notice it, I'm probably doing something wrong XD. See if you can spot anything slightly unusual about one of the characters :). _

_Also, some Wonderswan references here. You don't need to be super-familiar with those games, however, for the overall story to make sense._

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. Could you imagine owning a Cyberdramon? Or a Ryo, for that matter? XP** _

Ne Plus Ultra

"_I think the purpose of life is to be happy, to be useful, to be responsible, to be honorable, to be compassionate. It is, above all, to matter, to count, to stand for something, to have made some difference, that you lived at all." -Leo Rosten_

Laughter. A exotic sound in this now-desolate space. Ryo halted, staring at the quaint home bakery where the happy noises came from. Through the windows he saw familiar silhouettes: two boys, a girl, a dinosaur, a rabbit creature, and a humanoid fox.

He stayed there, looking in, cold wind slicing over him. The scent of hot bread reminded him that he hadn't eaten in a while. The cheerful chatter beckoned to him even more than the promise of food. He wondered if they would notice him.

"Ryo?"

Ryo glanced down to his partner Monodramon. The little purple dragon looked at him with both curiosity and concern.

Ryo smiled, and then walked on. Plastic bags floated down the empty streets like airborne jellyfish.

IIIIII

Ryo wasn't an unsociable person. He had plenty of friends, and he enjoyed hanging out with said friends. He knew better than to act like an arrogant jerk about his Digimon King title, but he _did_ like to bask in the attention. Or _any_ attention, for that matter. All of that was fine, at an arm's length.

It wasn't because of Cyberdramon's ferocity that he kept his distance from others. It wasn't because he didn't care about other people. It wasn't because he had gotten hurt and betrayed, at least he didn't _think_ so…

He was just a loner. Someone who didn't need others all the time. Someone who didn't want to conform to popular opinion. He stayed by himself, so he could _stay_ himself.

But sometimes he wondered what it would be like if it was different. If _he_ was different. But then the musings would wash away like bathwater, and life went on. _His_ life went on.

IIIIII

Ryo stood atop one of the many abandoned houses, Cyberdramon by his side. The metal dragon Digimon had only recently regained its Ultimate form. In the distance, a massive red blob was swelling and spreading. Around it, shouts and explosions.

_Rika, Takato, Henry! _Ryo thought. They were the only ones who were powerful enough to take on the D-Reaper. Even Cyberdramon, who was strong for an Ultimate-level Digimon, could do little to the crimson substance and its alien agents.

And honestly, Ryo was bewildered. He, the Legendary Tamer, had never been able to digivolve his partner. _They_, on the other hand, had already reached _Mega_, and in the most bizarre way ever achieved. They didn't just power up their Digimon through their Digivices or cards: they _fused_ with their Digimon! In all the battles, travels, timelines and dimensions he had been to, this was _unprecedented_.

It made him wonder what he was doing wrong.

He never got a crest, though he was capable of using all the Armor evolutions. He could partner with any Digimon, but he only received his _true_ partner recently…sort of. All those times, all those partners, all those people he had helped, only to be tricked or abandoned in return…or when he only made their situations worse…or when he had to choose who to save, and who to…

_Why? _He didn't even care about being the Legendary Tamer or Digimon King, or whatever title the unknowing slapped on him. All he wanted was to be a _real _Digidestined: one partner, one power, one fate.

…No, he already had all that. So why…

But the others were losing, despite their Mega forms. They were getting beaten and tossed about like cheap toys. One got pulled under the red mass.

_No…No! _thought Ryo, feeling himself tremble. _Not them too! I don't want to lose anyone else, human or Digimon! I _can't_ lose anyone else!_

"Ryo," said Cyberdramon. Gazing upon the far-away battlefield, he stretched his four bat-like wings and began to glow.

Ryo gasped and reached out to his partner, and saw that his own body was also giving off light. He stared at his hand in astonishment. This warmth within him, emitted from his heart…he hadn't felt that in _years_.

"Ryo, don't you want to fight?" asked Cyberdramon.

And suddenly, Ryo realized he was never meant for solitude. He _hated_ being alone. He nodded, even though Cyberdramon was facing away from him.

The cyborg dragon seemed to sense his resolve regardless. "Then our desires are the same." Both of them started to shine much brighter, until Ryo saw nothing but light.

The sensation of digivolution was too swift and strange for Ryo to put into words. But this wasn't the time for talking, as the cyborg-man Digimon rushed over the rooftops. His scarf flowed behind him, a shocking blur of red following the cool gray.

_I am…We are Justimon! _the new being thought._ Our power will protect all the worlds, and all our friends!_

And _finally_, everything felt right.

_IIIIII_

_I suspect other people have done such a fic before, so I hope I've done a good job with this one. What do you think?_

_Also, did anyone notice how Ryo, while he thought about things a lot, didn't actually say anything? :) This follows TMR Challenge 2 - write a fic where at least one main character doesn't say anything at all :P._

_I hope you enjoyed!_


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